Fit For A Queen

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Something to shout about at the Princess Victoria

The Princess Victoria has collected an impressive range of awards since she relaunched as a gastropub and the building was renovated last year: 'Best New Gastropub 2008', 'Top 30 Gastropub 2008' and 'Best Newcomer of the Year'. But as you approach the handsome building on Uxbridge Road, the impression you get is surprisingly low-key. There is a modest blackboard at the front, telling passersby about a Saturday morning market held there each week, but otherwise there is nothing outside to advertise what is on offer inside. Which is a shame, really, because even before you have set eyes on the menu, the beautifully-restored interior is in itself worth being tempted in for.

It does not take long to decide what you want to eat at the Princess Victoria as the menu is short and sweet: there are six starters to choose from, four mains and five desserts – a modest selection which might not go down well amongst fussy eaters. The lunch menu also offers a special deal of two courses for £12.50 or three courses for £15.00, but here again, the selection is narrow. In sharp contrast to this, the drinks menu stretches to 20 pages and offers every imaginable type of wine. You can also opt to have a 175ml glass, a 250ml glass or a 500ml carafe, so there's no forcing you to buy more wine that you really want to drink. We went for a very refreshing Roussanne Sauvignon (£3.90 for a small glass).

From the lunch menu, we ordered an asparagus starter - chargrilled Kentish asparagus, goat's cheese croute and tarragon dressing, to be precise - (£7.50) and for our main courses chose a green pea and feta risotto (£11.50) and sea bass with potatoes (£15.50). We could also have opted for a pork board starter (including crispy fried pig's cheek), or a roasted breast of guineafowl as a main.

One very positive feature is the up-front nature of the place: instead of a vague 'cover charge', the menu is quite explicit about what you are paying for. “Your first bowl of bread is on us. Subsequent bowls of bread are £1.50,” so you know where you stand. We were also offered a choice of still or sparkling water which, our waiter told us, there was no charge for, so there was no awkwardness about having to ask for tap water. When it arrived, it was served in a glass 'Princess Victoria' bottle with the words 'pure water' on it. I am not sure whether this meant mineral, filtered or just plain tap, but whatever it was, it tasted fine.

The Princess Victoria's interior is spacious and airy and the beautifully ornate skylights, both in the dining room and bar area, would have let in plenty of bright sunlight, had the clouds not got in the way. We sat in the bar area where the walls are decorated with oil paintings, gilded mirrors and a very cross looking stuffed badger, deer and cow. The centrepiece is a horseshoe-shaped bar and the huge bar area is packed with wooden tables and chairs and leather bench seating areas. This is a place where you could hold a really big party.

Our food was brought to us quickly by very attentive staff. I do not know what the Princess Victoria chef did to the asparagus but I have never tasted anything quite like it. There was nothing woody or stringy about it but it was indescribably soft and tender all the way through, despite looking just very lightly grilled. The sea bass arrived with what looked like a scoop of ice cream and custard sauce on the side of the plate. This turned out to be a poached egg covered in a creamy Hollandaise sauce and hiding underneath all of this were potatoes and small pieces of smoked bacon, turning an already impressive dish into something quite divine. The risotto – green pea, feta and wild garlic with baby artichokes roasted cherry vine tomatoes and lemon oil – was both colourful and tasty. When it came to afters, we couldn't quite figure out what Welsh rarebit was doing on the dessert menu but it was not the sugary fix we wanted. Instead, we went for the peach brulee which was beautifully sweet and creamy.

The elegant and stylish dining room at the back had a few diners for lunch on the day we visited, and a few people were eating in the bar area, but the pub did have an empty feel about it. Perhaps it fills up in the evenings but at lunchtime, there seems no obvious source of diners. The 'fancy a pint' website describes the Princess Victoria as being “stranded” on the Uxbridge Road and that is exactly how it feels. Not quite in Askew Road, not quite in Shepherd's Bush town centre, the Princess Victoria could do with being lifted up and transported to a busier spot.

It was once, of course, in a prime location and a page in the wine menu tells us: “The Princess Victoria’s role as a destination pub adequately linked to a tram stop began when Acton's first tram service, between the Princess Victoria, Acton Vale, and Uxbridge Road (Shepherd's Bush) station, was opened by the Southall, Ealing & Shepherd's Bush Tram-Railway Co. 1874, and was said to carry 1,000 passengers daily. No doubt having the advantaged position as the convenient luxury tram stop retreat!”

We spent just under £50 for one starter, two main courses, one dessert and two glasses of wine. Not exactly cheap, but top-quality food and wine – and definitely worth shouting about.

Yasmine Estaphanos

21 May 2009